New York City police searched on Sunday for a gunman who killed a Muslim cleric and his associate as they left prayers at a mosque in the borough of Queens on Saturday, sowing fear and sadness in their budding Bangladeshi community.

Police had yet to establish a motive and said there was no evidence the men were targeted because of their faith, but nothing was being ruled out. Residents demanded authorities treat the brazen daylight shooting as a hate crime.

The gunman approached the men from behind and shot both in the head at close range about 1:50 p.m. EDT (1750 GMT) in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, one of the city's five boroughs, police said in a statement.